Seattle detective, John Sandes, takes what may be his last case before retirement: Leo Johnson, a man living alone, not so unlike Sandes, has gone missing. The detective discovers quickly that Johnson has been murdered. But why? Detective Sandes finds several compelling clues in Johnson’s apartment. A picture of a young girl leads Sandes down a dark and increasingly twisted path into crimes uglier far more extensive than one dead man alone in his apartment. To solve Johnson’s murder and to stop more violence, Sandes, a strong man, bruised by life, must face dangers that severely test his waning strength.